Is gifting booze badform?

As I get older, I find most of what I get as gifts to be trite. I must also thus assume what I give as being trite no matter what amount of time I put into the gift.

Further it seems most people I know have more junk than storage for it, and so we find ourselves at the famous dillemma of what to give.

What are your views of Santa visitng Liquor Barn rather than a mall or giving a coupon.

(Keeping in mind, the huge array of quaf available...nobody gets a 12er of Bud Lite)

Do you get a Scotch or Wine, and re-gift, or think, "lazy-thoughless-toad-giftgivver?"

Well, do you?

Please share

Go on! Put some 'spirit in the spirit of giving! I'm still waiting for Santa to get the news! I have proudly given boose as gifts and hope eventually someone will return the favor.

Put some cheer into the Holidays!

Give a gift that keeps on giving everytime you open & pour.

That depends on how much alcohol is being given! :)
I know quite a few people who practically swoon over an aged scotch, and just try to keep them from opening it, sharing, well that's another story. The trick is knowing what the recipient likes, and it's all the better if you can find their favorite, or a new favorite.
I know my dad opened all packages that were vaguely bottle-sized first, and considering the comical 'fightin' Irish' quality of our family gatherings, I don't know how he didn't drink everything in sight!
How could it not be a good gift ... it's kind of like soap, eventually you're going to use it, which I can't say about the Adorable Kittens in a Basket trivet.

If no one you know wants booze as a gift, I'd be more than happy to accept it in their place.

I've asked for several rums this year, I've got my fingers crossed.

I've always given big bottles of Belgian ales to the people I know who are beer lovers. And they never blanch at consuming them whilst the seasons spirits are in the air.

TG

We have given booze as gifts many, many times, and they were never unappreciated. One thing you can do to personalize it a bit more is to pick a good drink recipe you think they will like, print it up on a nice card and give them all the ingredients to make the drink. It doesn't have to be a 10 ingredient drink from the Grog Log, just something simple, but maybe something they haven't tried.

Not only do I consider booze a swell gift, but my husband actually puts a bottle or two on his list for Santa every year.

Belgian Ales, aye?

I too have gifted those with mixed results. Which do you give?

Lindeman's Frambrois with a bar of Sharfenberger chocolate is an old stand bye...though it's been recived with mixed results, often people don't know the two go together, and give the Bitter Chocolate to thier kids, and don't expect the beer to be fruity.

Saisson DuPont and LaChuffe are others with great charachter

I've also done a chronological 6er of Big Foots (which takes 6 years to collect of course) These seem to always get grabbed by individuals and not sampled together.

Wine can run such a gambit of prices too...I often feel like people like what they've heard advertized, (Kendall Jackson...or JD or Jose Cuervo, or Bushmills...) and choose not to taste first, then evaluate.

Do you tend to give what you like? or give something new and different? or try to find the persons stand-bye hooch?...or do you pick a winery, get a case (and a bit of a discount) and finish it in one fell swoop?

I agree - gifting booze is fantastic.

I also agree that one needs to consider the tastes of the giftee. A little bit of research and a nifty bow is all you really need :)

On 2004-11-14 20:46, Gigantalope wrote:
Belgian Ales, aye?

I too have gifted those with mixed results. Which do you give?

Lindeman's Frambrois with a bar of Sharfenberger chocolate is an old stand bye...though it's been recived with mixed results, often people don't know the two go together, and give the Bitter Chocolate to thier kids, and don't expect the beer to be fruity.

Saisson DuPont and LaChuffe are others with great charachter

The three never miss brands for me are Duvel, Affligem, and Chimay. Although the Chimay is the one I feel is borderline.

Affligem makes a fantastic Christmas Ale that is the smoothest beer that I've ever had. No back bite after taste. And it will kick your ass.

But if you can't find it, the DUBBEL and TRIPLE ales are over proof and mighty fine.

Just get a champagne bottle stopper. It makes it so you don't have to consume the enitre bottle in one sitting. Unless your into downing 750ml of 8.5% beer.

For Duvel check
http://www.duvelusa.com/
Duvel is apparently Flemish for Devil.

And most people know Chimay. Its the least favorite of the three in my world. But some people swear by it.

But my absolute favorite Belgian beer is
Hoegaarden. It is pure Nirvana on a hot summers day. With a wedge of lemon. cue Homer drool...

http://www.silrubin.com/hoeg_white.htm

I've never gotten into Chocolate beers, or heavily fruit flavored beers. Dunno why.

TG

Good guide to Belgian nectar...
http://belgianstyle.com/mmguide/

[ Edited by: tikigardener on 2004-11-15 02:46 ]

I am trying to get my clients (and my boss) to give out booze for Xmas... every year i get useless t-shirts and trinkets, when what would be really aprecaited is a bottle of wine. Even if its not good wine, it can still find some use over the holdiays! There are places where you can get your own label put on a half decent wine, so your company can have its branded wine, and give those as gifts. Please, if you are in charge of your comany'sgift giving this year... give the gift of wine, and say no to Santa Squeezeballs!

I find that giving booze as a gift pretty rewarding. To make it more special go out and by a nice set of wine or pilsner glasses, a heavy tall beer mug, or tiki mug. Wrap them together. Seriously, wouldn't you like to open a gift to find a nice set of hurricane glasses and a bottle of Jamaican rum.
Here’s the best part’ Last year I bought my brother-in-law a case of Guinness and a Case of Bass Ale along with some heavy beer mugs. An hour later my dad and I was helping him drink his black and tans. This works great with cigars as well.
Most liquor around the holidays usually comes with something special, like a pair of glasses, shot glasses, or a flask. Keep your eyes open. Sometimes they even have special collector’s bottles.

I like giving booze as gifts. Giving out bottles of cordials, like Grand Marnier or Midori is cool because people who don't buy a lot of booze wouldn't normaly buy these for themselves.

My brother gave us an ice-o-mat crusher, stainless shaker, 4 stainless steel martini glasses(does that make them metals?) gin, vermouth, tequila, margarita mix, and a swell shag card as a wedding gift. VERY much appreciated! Booze is always a welcome gift in my household, and I never hesitate to give it either.

For those in the NYC area, hers a great place to try out many a fine belgian ale.

BURP CASTLE.
http://www.brewist.com/burpcastle.html
A few photos and info

A review
http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/smith-g/burp.php

The front window says it all

http://www.pubcrawler.com/Template/viewphoto.cfm?ID=1148-01282004050224-15098.jpg

Enjoy!

TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Gifting booze is good. :drink:

Re-gifting booze is bad. :x

If the bottle if thoughtfully chosen and cheerily wrapped,it's great.If it's one of those Baily Irish Creme gift packs with the winking creamer or sugar bowl,it says "We completely forgot about you and had to stop at Osco to find SOMETHING to give you so we don't arrive empty handed."Not just Bailey's,of course,but any of those gifts that contains branded glassware.Who uses that stuff?

I love both giving & receiving a bottle as a gift. What makes alcohol great is that it has excellent Joy to Cost ratio. Example: if you spend $20, you can get a worthless trinket piece of crap (think how many Tiki Kleenex box covers you have been given) or you can get a bottle of rum/scotch/vodka/etc.

The trick to gifting booze however, is the single bottle (not the gift pack, makes the bottle seem cheapened) of top shelf or super premium goods... something the receiver wouldn't buy on their own because it's a guilty pleasure (like buying Ketel One for someone who usually buys Five O'Clock brand)

-Z

Thank God The Tiki Bar Is Open
Thank God The Tiki Torch Still Shines...

[ Edited by: Feelin' Zombified on 2004-11-15 14:36 ]

Damn Gigantalope!
You came to the right place for booze knowledge.

I think we all agree that getting booze is a good thing (especially RUM). I don't even mind if someone gives me a bottle of something that I don't drink. I do question how well they know me - but, it does help line the Tiki bar and you can always find some recipe to use it for.

I also agree about most gift packs (gawd, I hate that winking Bailey's cup!!!). So many companies now are coming out with "aged" or "reserve" versions of everything that it's better to spend the money on those than the junk you usually get in the gift packs.

Liquor under the Christmas tree? I'll drink to that! The trick is gently guiding your significant others on what you want. Heck, my family all draws up wish lists... so I just get very specific on some of my requests.

There are a lot of crappy liquor gift boxes out there, but there are a few good ones.
I just saw a Rhum Barbancourt gift box with a bottle of 5-star and a couple of rocks glasses for $22 in Washington. I'll take one of those!

On 2004-11-15 13:59, docwoods wrote:
Not just Bailey's,of course,but any of those gifts that contains branded glassware.Who uses that stuff?

Guilty (in the last 3 days, even)! My excuse - the price of the Matusalem was the same with or without the rocks glasses, plus I needed 'em.

JTD

On 2004-11-15 05:39, tikifish wrote:
I am trying to get my clients (and my boss) to give out booze for Xmas... every year i get useless t-shirts and trinkets, when what would be really aprecaited is a bottle of wine. Even if its not good wine, it can still find some use over the holdiays! There are places where you can get your own label put on a half decent wine, so your company can have its branded wine, and give those as gifts. Please, if you are in charge of your comany'sgift giving this year... give the gift of wine, and say no to Santa Squeezeballs!

amen to that TikiFish. I battle with the owner of this company every year... wine with a private label is wonderful... wine sans label is good. (Sad to say,frisbees and egg shakers are all he's agreed to.)

:(

On 2004-11-14 19:54, ZebraTiki wrote:
That depends on how much alcohol is being given! :)
I know quite a few people who practically swoon over an aged scotch, and just try to keep them from opening it, sharing, well that's another story. . . . .

I wholeheartedly agree.

It's often best to give one and keep one to open, so as to prevent the vicious arm twisting of the gift recipient doesn't want see his new favorite gift go empty immediately.

On 2004-11-15 05:39, tikifish wrote:
... give the gift of wine, and say no to Santa Squeezeballs!

Where's Tiki Bong when you really need him???

On 2004-11-15 15:10, MachTiki wrote:
I also agree about most gift packs (gawd, I hate that winking Bailey's cup!!!).

I'm surprised we haven't discussed those infernal Bailey's cups in this thread:
https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=8104&forum=6

Not to be a partyrekker, (although I guess it's my party to wreck) but I like those winking cups...Baily's on the other hand strikes me as being too close to pepto to be fun.

The cups are perfect for projects and defacing...buccaneer face, 5:00 shadow,blood,paint some stiches across the eye...then epoxy somplace it should not be. ( co-worked desk, park bench, police car...)

On 2004-11-15 13:59, docwoods wrote:
If the bottle if thoughtfully chosen and cheerily wrapped,it's great.If it's one of those Baily Irish Creme gift packs with the winking creamer or sugar bowl,it says "We completely forgot about you and had to stop at Osco to find SOMETHING to give you so we don't arrive empty handed."Not just Bailey's,of course,but any of those gifts that contains branded glassware.Who uses that stuff?

I, as well, am gulity of this. Bacardi puts out some tasteful liscensed glassware (basic rocks or old fashioned glass) in their giftpacks and there's little to no markup for the extra stuff.